The screening room

If Eddie Murphy looks slightly younger than you expect in his latest film, don’t credit Botox or surgery. It’s because “A Thousand Words,” opening Friday, has been on the shelf for more than a thousand days.

When this comedy about a sleazy literary agent who falls under a yogi’s curse was shot, Lehman Brothers was still open for business and Sarah Palin was talking about Joe Six-Pack and the hockey moms. Yes, all the way back in 2008.

Officially, the delay is due to “Words” being left in the dust when DreamWorks and Paramount dissolved their partnership. Cash-strapped DreamWorks couldn’t afford to buy back “Words,” which left the project in limbo. Poisonous buzz from early test screenings resulted in reshoots, not exactly a surprise since “Words” reteams Murphy with director Brian Robbins: Their previous collaboration, “Meet Dave,” was one of the biggest bombs of 2008.

Another troubling sign: “Words” was written by Steve Koren, who authored Adam Sandler’s abysmal “Jack & Jill.”

Take these as “Words” of warning.